Strength Of The Heart
by Matatabi-chan
Summary: 2nd in the Strength Series. Murder of a man causes Esposito to draw parallels between it and his relationship with Lanie. The world is turned upside down and now Lanie must face her feelings. What will this case cause between the two?
1. Chapter 1

I own nothing that is associated with the original idea and concept of 'Castle'!

Chapter 1

Kimberly West a tall blond with stunning green eyes walked into her office early in the morning. She set her things down, booted her computer up and then walked down the hall to the employee kitchen to make herself coffee as she did every morning. She sighed. She hated coming to work early, but being the boss of the company made it impossible to come in any later. Checking the clock on the wall as she finished getting the coffee pot ready she made note that the other employees would be showing up in the next few minutes.

"Just another day in paradise." She told herself sarcastically. She turned to do a walk through of the cubicles once before her employees arrived. Checking each cubicle for anything that was not supposed to belong and to make sure what did belong was still there. "God forbid we have to shut down because someone broke in again." She rolled her eyes going to the next cubicle.

Two more cubicles and she stops dead in her tracks. Her hands reflexively go to cover her mouth, eye wide in horror at the site before her. In the fog of her fear, she can hear the elevator ding. The employees are arriving. Her mind does not care; its only focused on one thing, the horrifying sight before her. She lets out a shrill scream making the three workers who had just stepped off the elevator run to her.

Each one stopping, eyes wide in shock at the scene. "Oh my god!" The one woman with shoulder length black hair said as she turned away. The two men looked at the boy of a man sitting in the chair, slumped over. His head and upper body was swollen and bloody. Blood was all over, dripping from the mangled body onto the floor. The workers looked to their boss who was still too mortified to look away or say anything.

"Derek call 9-1-1." One of the men with shaggy auburn hair said to the other man with brown hair. Derek went to the next cubical and called 9-1-1 while the other man and the two women could only continue to stare in horror.

Castle walked over to the kitchen counter talking to his daughter before she was off to school. "Good morning." He said happily, as he kissed her cheek. "Going to school early?"

"I have a psychology test today." She explained. "I need to get to school and look at my text book. I was in a rush to get home last night I forgot to grab it."

"Good morning." Martha's voice ran through the room as she walked down the stairs and over to her son and granddaughter. She gave them each a kiss before going to get herself a drink.

"Good morning, Mother." Castle said as she kissed his cheek. "Where are you off to so early?" he wondered as she walked passed him dressed and ready to go out.

"I need to get to my school. We are getting things together for a fundraiser." She explained as she walked over to lean against the counter beside him. "We are trying to get some scholarships set up and help kids who can't afford the supplies to get what they need."

"I thought you had one set up in Chet's name?" Alexis asked.

"Yes, well that can only help so many. There are so many kids that came through the experimental course that want to attend but simply can't afford it." She explained before giving them each another kiss.

Castle's phone rang. "Well you are really good at that." He told her before putting his phone to his ear. "Castle…. No, I was just talking to my mother…." He turned away listening to Beckett.

Castle and Beckett walked out of the elevator to see uniformed officers busy about the large room, filled with cubicles. "So you're mother wants to have a fundraiser?" They had gotten a bit closer after the accident the month before. Beckett wanted to be able to tell Castle the exact words she had told him that day but her brain still refused to allow her to let go of the past and move on. She smiled, they were perfect the way they were… for now.

"Yeah; she feels bad that there are kids who aren't able to do what they love because they don't have the funding."

"I think it's great." She smiled.

"You would think that, but there's something up." He told her making her smile at him. "If you had seen the look in her eyes you would be worried too." He looked at her as she started to laugh at him.

"You're paranoid, Castle." She told him shaking her head

"You would be too. Last fundraiser she auctioned me off to some old woman. Remember?" He explained as they made their way over to where Lanie was standing beside the entrance to the cubicle. Castle glanced around to find Ryan and Esposito talking to four people, who must have been the ones to find the body. Beckett stopped beside Lanie and Castle stood on the other side of the opening.

"What do we have?" Beckett asked. She looked at the body Lanie was examining, thankful for the excuse to drop the memory.

"Blunt force trauma to the head and upper body. I'll have to run some more tests but it looks as if this hit here was cause of death." She pointed to a large gash across the base of the skull.

Beckett looked around the area. "Well it doesn't look like he was killed here."

"Beckett." She looked up and Castle turned to see Ryan and Esposito walking over to them. "CSU found a blue tarp in the trashcan by the elevators. It looks like someone shoved it in before they left."

"Who found the body?" Beckett asked the two.

"The boss. Kimberly West came in this morning before everyone like she always does. She was doing a sweep to make sure everything was here. Found the body and screamed making the other three who had just gotten off the elevator come running. Derek Stetson was the one who called the cops." He pointed to the man with short brown hair. "Adam Jackson and Sarah Tolby were friends of the vic." Esposito ran down his notes.

"Vic's name is Tarence Perry. From what Sarah and Adam say he just got engaged to a Elana Brown." Ryan picked up where he left off.

"Are these cameras hooked up?" Beckett asked the boys.

"They're dummies. Boss said they were put in by the company to try to deter thieves and the workers from doing anything." Esposito responded. Beckett gave a soft sigh and looked around the area.

"That doesn't seem like it would do much good in an office on the twelfth floor." Castle chimed in. Beckett had been surprised he remained silent for as long as he had. "I mean if people are going to break in and steal things they would do it where they could make a quick escape. Not where they would have to run down flights of stairs or wait for the elevator. It just makes so sense to be worried about things being stolen." He shrugged.

"See what CSU can pull from the area and it probably won't do any good but see if they can get any prints from the elevator buttons and the trashcan. Don't know how well that's going to work in such a public place but it can't hurt. Maybe we'll get a hit." She shrugged before she turned to walk away with Castle following in tow.

Half hour later Beckett put the car in park out front of the precinct. Castle glanced at her hearing a soft sigh. "You okay?" He asked making her turn to look at him.

She nodded. "Yeah. Just…. I hate doing this. I hate being the one to tell someone their loved one was taken from them. I don't want to be the one to give them the worst new of their lives."

"But you're also the one who finds out who did this and makes sure they are punished for what they did. You give these families closure." Beckett watched his blue eyes search her face as he spoke. Trying to ease the pain of what was inevitable. "You're the one to set them at ease."

She took a breath and nodded. "Let's get this done so we can find out who did this." The two climbed from the car and walked into the precinct, rode the elevators to the fourth floor where Ryan and Esposito were leading a crying woman into the lounge. The two men stopped at the doorway as Beckett and Castle walked over.

"Figured we'd get things started." Esposito said making her nod.

"I'll start on the board." Ryan said as Beckett and Esposito walked into the room leaving Ryan and Castle to get the murder board set up.

"I just…" The woman said as Beckett sat across from her in a chair and Esposito stood off to the side. "I can't believe he's gone. We were just talking about our wedding last night."

"Elana…" Beckett said making the woman look at her. "You weren't worried when he didn't come home last night?"

"No, Tarry was working late and then he said he had to go help his mother. She hasn't been doing too well mentally recently, and he was spending a lot of time with her. Making sure she was okay at night and everything. We took turns with his sister and brother."

"Why didn't you go with him last night?"

"With work, the wedding, both our families…. Things have been very stressful recently and he told me to relax and take the night for myself. He called me before he left work and said he would see me today after he was done work." Elana started to cry again at the thought of not having her fiancé beside her any longer.

"About what time was that?" Beckett asked.

"Um, it was about six last night." Elana responded softly.

"Do you know of anyone who he had been in fights or arguments with? Anyone who would want to hurt him?" Esposito asked making her shake her head.

"No, no. Tarry was so loving and kind. He was the one stopping the fights. He was the mediator and made sure everyone was fair and kind." Beckett nodded and the room fell silent.

"How long had you been together?" Beckett asked to get all the information she could not only for the case but also to be able to calm the grieving woman down.

"We went out for two years and we were back and forth. We both wanted to be together but were too afraid and stubborn to do anything about it. We used to work at the same company, that's how we met and thing got tense when our coworkers found out. They all said we were perfect for each other and that we were going to be that old married couple everyone sees in the park.

"That kind of made us feel pressured to push on in the relationship even though we weren't ready. He even asked me to marry him several times and every time I turned him down and then we got into a big fight and broke up again. Finally, we got things under control and blocked out what everyone told us and the way people were looking at us. We just went our own merry way, at our own pace." She looked down tears falling from her sad brown eyes. "I just wish that we would have seen what we really had a while ago so we could have had more time together happy rather than always fighting and arguing over there out future should go and what we were doing with our lives."

"He sounds like he was a really great guy." Beckett started before moving over to sit beside the woman. She reached out putting her hand on the woman's arm and looked into her eyes. "A guy who really loved you. He held on through everything in your relationship and made sure you were happy. He wanted to have a life with you, and I'm sure you both have plenty of memories, good and bad, that can show you that you can only go at your own pace. You needed to go through those silly fights to make the connection between you stronger"

"I just….. I don't know how I'm going to keep going. I loved him so much."

Beckett gave her a smile and nod. "You will get through this. You're strong, you proved that with how long you pushed to be with him, and this will only make you a stronger person. I promise you that I will find who did this and I will make sure they are punished."

"Thank you detective." Elana said wiping the tears from her cheeks as the two women stood. Beckett nodded and the three walked out of the room. Elana walked to the elevator still crying as Becket and the silent Esposito went to the murder board.

"Did she know anything that could help?" Castle asked as Beckett stopped beside him with Esposito beside her.

"He was supposed to go to his mother's last night. Apparently she's not doing well and his brother, sister and the victim take turns staying with her." Beckett told him as she picked up the marker and moved to the board. "She said he called when he left work at six last night." She wrote the note that the victim left work at six pm and stepped back to look at the line.

"So where did he go next?" asked Esposito.

"And how did he end up back in work?" Castle added as Beckett continued to look at the board as Ryan tried to find something in his notes and papers to explain anything.

"First stop his mother's house." Beckett told the three men before pulling her keys from her pocket. Castle stood up straight and followed her back out to the car.

"Did Esposito sound off?" Castle asked Beckett as they walked up to the house of Eleanor Perry, the mother of their victim.

"I don't know, Castle, I don't just sit and compare how everyone sounds everyday." She rolled her eyes at him as they reached the steps to the porch.

"No, I mean he sounded like he was off somewhere else, like there's something bothering him." Castle explained and saw Beckett turn to look at him with an amused smirk.

"Never knew you were that into him." Castle paused for a minute before he opened and closed his mouth several times, but never spoke. Beckett's smirk grew bigger as she shook her head. "I'm sure he's fine. If he wants to talk about it he will." She knocked on the door.

"Yes?" A tall woman with short brown hair and green eyes asked. She opened the door. "Can I help you?"

Beckett held her badge up. "I'm detective Kate Beckett, NYPD. This is Richard Castle. We have a few questions to ask you about Tarence Perry." She put her badge away as the woman put her hand on her hip.

"What has my brother done now?" She asked.

"Your brother?" Beckett asked, clarifying the relationship.

"Yeah, I'm Alisha, Tarence's sister. What's going on?" Alisha watched as Beckett nodded.

"His body was found this morning." Was al l she said. Alisha's mouth dropped open and she stared, speechless for a moment.

"Are- are you sure?" She shuddered. Beckett nodded sadly and the woman burst into tears making a man run to her side from around the corner.

"Ali? Ali, what's wrong?" he asked making her turn to him.

"It's Tarry…. They found his body." She cried as the man pulled her to his chest and held her.

"Who would you be?" Beckett asked, trying to stay on topic.

"I'm Ali's husband, Tom Peterson. What happened?" He answered.

"That's what we're trying to figure out. Is it alright if we come in and ask some questions?" the man nodded and led the way, his arm still holding Alisha to him. The four sat in the living room, Alisha, pulling herself together. "You and your brother were close?"

"Yeah, me and Tarry are twins. We did everything together. Oh my god." She looked a bit frightened. "Elana. His fiancé. How am I going to tell her?" Fresh tears came to her eyes.

"We actually spoke to her about half an hour ago." Castle told her.

"I… I have to go talk to her. She's got to be devastated." Alisha said sadly. "They were so in love. It took a lot of long nights of talking to them to get them to finally settle things between them." She wiped tears from her eyes again and looked at Beckett and Castle.

"She told us that he called her before he left work last night to come here." Beckett prompted.

"He was supposed to come over last night to relieve our older brother Justin. When I got here, Justin was half-asleep and not happy at all. I wasn't sure why he was still here but I figured him and Tarry had switched or something."

"Can you think of anyone who would have wanted to hurt your brother?" Beckett wondered.

Alisha shook her head as Tom answered. "No, everyone loved him. He took care of everyone, went out of his way to do what he could for anyone. He was a great guy."

"He did tell me he had to break of a fight the other day with someone at work. Said the guy was having a bad day and another worker said something to him and the guy just flipped. Tarry said him and his friend Adam had to get between the two and break them up. The guy who was having a bad day apparently didn't appreciate that."

"Do you know names?" Beckett asked her,

"Yeah, the guy who was having a bad day, Tarry said his name was…" She trailed off thinking for a minute. "Morgan. His name was Morgan and the other guy was Derek." She looked between Castle and Beckett "You don't think he was killed because he stepped in to stop a fight do you?"

"It's a possibility." Castle said.

"We'll look into it." Beckett said watching the husband and wife. "Is it possible to speak with your mother?"

"Mom's not exactly with it. She thinks it's the 90's and me and Tarry are in high school. You can try if you want but she hasn't been with it for almost six months now."

"Do you know what caused it?" Castle asked, ever curious.

"The doctors diagnosed her with Alzheimer's about a year and half ago and it's just become worse and worse. These last few months have been the worst, that's why my and my brothers have been staying with her around the clock."

"It's fine. We'll look into the fight and some other possibilities. In the mean time, if you think of anything else he might have said or done recently, call me." Beckett said handing her card over as she stood. Castle followed her as they let themselves out.

"You really think he was killed because he stopped two guys from going at it?" Castle asked Beckett as they walked back to the car.

"I don't know. Like you said it's a possibility." She shrugged when they reached the car. "I'll call Esposito and have him and Ryan run down the employees while we dive."

"Where are we going?" Castle asked as Beckett began calling the boys.

"We're going to see what we can get out of the workers."

"What are you doing down here?" Lanie asked as Esposito and Ryan walked into the autopsy room.

"Beckett and Castle are talking to the employees again." Esposito explained. "Beckett said for us to find out what you found."

Lanie looked at him a minute before looking at Ryan and then finally moving to where the body was laying on the steel table. "I found markings over the wound paths." She pointed to one of the small purple marks on the man's chest. "There are over 100 of them all over his upper body and head. I found pieces of concrete in the wounds of his face."

"Like his face was slammed into the ground?" Ryan asked.

"That's my thought." She nodded. "Whatever was used to hit him was small and hard. I'm still trying to find out what the weapon was from the marks but I have no idea. I do know that this hit on the back of the head," She turned to show the x-ray on the light board. "Is the one that finished it? He was hit, from what I can count he was hit another thirty times after his heart stopped. I'm still going over the body for anything else that can help but that's all I can get so far."

"I'll call it in to Beckett." Ryan said making Esposito nod. Ryan walked out of the room. Esposito may not have told him anything or said anything but they were still partners, brothers if you will. He knew when he needed to leave. Lanie looked at Esposito who was trying to make himself look busy.

She put her hands on her hips and raised her brows. "What's going on?" He looked at her. "And don't even try to give me the, 'nothing's wrong' thing." He looked about to argue but thought better of it as she tilted her head ready to push.

He sighed softly and shrugged. "Just been thinking is all."

"About what?" She asked not giving up her no-nonsense stance. He looked at her and she dropped her hands from her hips and sighed. "We've been over it a million times." She shook her head.

"I know, but I think maybe we should think about it again." She paused looking into his eyes. She knew something was going on in his head but she didn't know what, and she didn't exactly want to know.

"Javi-" She was cut off as an assistant rolled another body into the room. He nodded and left. Lanie turned back to Esposito who was turning to leave. "Javier." She said making him stop and look at her. "We can talk about this tonight if you want." She offered, seeing how much it was bothering him. He nodded and left.

They may have broken up months ago but she still cared a lot for him, even loved him. After Ryan's wedding they had begin to talk more and more, trying to reclaim and grab a hold of the feelings that were still floating in side. They had talked about getting back together but everything always ended in a fight, stopping any hope of getting back together. She sighed; she really did love the man. Shaking her head, she tried to push everything back as she went back to work.

"You ready?" Esposito asked Ryan who was still on the phone with Beckett.

"Yeah, Esposito and I will check it out." Ryan said as he hung up. "Beckett wants us to find a guy who breaks into the places to steal electronics. She said this guy has broken in a few times for computers, phones, printers and stuff like that. No one has a name for the guy but his face apparently is well known for it."

"Well he's probably not homeless and he's bound to have some sort of rap sheet if he's well known for it." Ryan nodded and the two men were back off to their desks to see if they could find anything to help the investigation.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"They're going to find the guy for us." Beckett said as she and Castle stood in the conference room waiting for the two men to get back from lunch break. Beckett saw Castle sitting on the edge of the table deep in thought. Rolling her eyes she asked, "I'm afraid to ask, but what are you thinking about?" His blue eyes jumped to her brown.

"Who would name their son Morgan?" he wondered aloud. "It's like naming your daughter Thomas or something." Beckett shook her head. She knew she shouldn't have even asked.

"Castle, you get into a fight with this guy and I'm going to let him kick your butt." He smirked at her.

"Who says I won't wipe the floor with _him_?" there was a knock on the door making them turn. The door opened and they saw a bald man who stood six foot three and was at least three hundred pounds.

"Kim said you wanted to speak with me? I'm Morgan Garrett." Beckett turned and looked at Castle with one eyebrow raised while he just stared open mouthed.

"Want to change your plan?" she asked Castle.

Castle closed his mouth and shook his head. "I stand by my comment." He told her defiantly making her roll her eyes. Turning back to Morgan, she nodded.

"Yes, we have a few questions to ask you about Tarence Perry." She said as Morgan walked in and sat down. She and Castle took their seats across the table from him and began their questioning. "We were told that Tarence and another worker had to break up a fight between you and a coworker."

Morgan sighed heavily and slumped a bit in his seat. "I was having a real bad day; nothing going right and just one of those days. The copy machine was jammed and I had little melt down. Derek and several others were there and he turns to me and tells me that I have a girls name, I might as well act like one."

"I bet that really made you mad." Beckett said and watched as he nodded.

"With a name like Morgan for a guy who looks like you; I bet you know how to deal with those people." Castle said.

"Yeah, I lost it. I snapped. I've been picked on my whole life because of my name but when I got older and I started turning out bigger than the kids it stopped. I still get it occasionally but everyone takes one look at me and they back off. Derek…. He's a great guy but he thinks he rules the office."

"So he's like the bully's you had back in school?" Castle asked Morgan nodded. "I'm sure there were a lot of them. A guy like you with a girl's name like Morgan…" He trailed off as the big man in front of him glared at him and Beckett looked at him, silently telling him to shut up.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. He does something wrong and its all quiet but when you do something wrong he tells everyone and their brother about it. He'll wring you out if you do something wrong or make any kind of mistake."

"What about Tarence?" Beckett asked bringing the conversation back to the victim.

"Tarry was a great guy. He was helping a lot of people. He was the only one who would make sure everyone was being treated fair. Everyone loved him here; it's what made working here a great job. I didn't have to worry about name calling or anything."

"So I guess Derek didn't like him too much then." Castle observed. "Derek, being a guy who wanted to rule the place and Tarence being the guy who wanted everyone to be equals."

"Yeah, they didn't get a long too well but they stayed away from each other. Well until Tarry and Adam had to get in between us. Derek was suspended for a week and was written up because Tarry told Kim what happened." Castle glanced at Beckett.

"Thank you for your time." Morgan nodded, stood and left, shutting the door behind him. "Looks like we have a suspect." She said to Castle.

"You know…" He trailed off a minutes. "I bet he played football. a girls name and looking like that. He had to have been on some team." Beckett just rolled her eyes at him as he continued to theorize about Morgan's background.

"Castle, we need to find out who killed our victim not write biographies." She stood and walked to the door. Opening it, she saw the tall man with short brown hair from early this morning walking towards her.

"Kim said you needed to speak with me?" Beckett nodded and moved to the side to let him in. Shutting the door behind her, she walked over to the table and sat beside Castle again.

"We were told you had a fight with a coworker and Tarence and another worker had to pull you apart. We were told that you were suspended for a week and written up for it." The man's face twisted with annoyance.

"Is that what this is about? That princess has his panties on so tight that breathing in his direction sets him off and the people against him are the ones punished." He responded. Beckett looked at him.

Castle shifted in his seat and tilted his head, "So you didn't walk up to him after he was having trouble with the printer and make fun of his name?" He asked. Derek paused and furrowed his brows angrily.

"I don't care what his problem is, he needs to deal with his own issues not bring them to work and definitely not go tattling to the cops like some little girl." He scoffed and Castle looked at Beckett.

"Where were you last night about eight last night?" Beckett asked.

"What? Now you think I killed Tarry just because some over sized fairy has a problem with me?" He argued.

"It's just standard procedure." Beckett told him. "We re just trying to figure out what happened to Tarence." She reassured him.

"We're not interested in your imagination issues." Castle added making both look at him. Beckett took a breath and looked back at Derek.

"So. Where were you last night about eight?"

"I was at home making dinner with my girlfriend. You can check if you want." Beckett nodded.

"We just want to cover all our bases." She explained as she pushed her note pad over to him. "I'm going to need her name and number." He sighed angrily before taking the pen from the pad and beginning to write what she wanted.

"Are we done here? I have work to do." Beckett nodded and he stood and left looking much angrier than this morning.

"Something is wrong about him." Castle said looking at the open doorway.

"You don't say." She replied sarcastically. "Come on. Let's get back to the precinct and see what the boys dug up for us." he stood and followed her out to the car.

When they arrived back to the precinct to find the two detectives smiling ear to ear. "What are they so happy about?" Castle whispered to Beckett as they walked closer.

"What's up?" she asked them. Esposito handed her a paper to look at, Castle looking over her shoulder. "Looks like Derek has a sheet." She said turning her head only to come face to face with Castle. She hadn't realized how close he had gotten but she didn't jump. The two locked eyes for a minute before she pulled away and pushed her thoughts into case overdrive.

"Derek has three different restraining orders on him from three different coworkers at three different jobs. Derek seems to have a bit of a temper when people get in his way." Ryan explained as Castle and Beckett looked back at the paper.

"He said he was with his girlfriend last night." Castle said as Beckett pulled out her note pad with the woman's name and number on it.

"I'll check it out." Ryan volunteered. Castle looked at his watch at the same time Beckett glanced at the clock on the wall. It was almost dinnertime and their stomachs were right on que with a grumble.

"You should go home to Alexis and your mother, it's almost dinner time." Beckett told Castle as she started over to her desk and sat.

"Mother is working on her fundraiser and I really would rather her not think of the idea of auctioning me off again. Alexis is helping her and if I'm lucky she won't suggest it." He told her making her smile and shake her head.

"You really think Alexis would suggest that Martha auction you off for a fundraiser?" Beckett asked and couldn't help the worried look that came to his face as he sat in the chair beside her desk. "Relax Castle. I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one who's famous." He said before a smile began to form on his face and he slowly look at her. As his mischievous smile grew her smile fell.

"What?" She wondered what he was thinking of. With that grin, it couldn't be good. "Castle?" She asked becoming a bit worried as the grin was wide across his face.

"I wonder how much you would go for." He wondered aloud.

"What? No, Castle." She said

"The real Nikki Heat. You'll have the highest bids ever." Castle shifted and pulled his phone out and started dialing.

"Who are you calling?" She asked an watched him just smile. "Castle, who are you calling?" He put the phone to his ear and she was becoming more and more worried until her stomach dropped.

"Hello, Mother… yes, I'm still at the precinct with Beckett. Listen I have a great idea for your fundraiser." He said before he was on his feet with Beckett behind him, chasing him around the desks, making other detectives and cops look and laugh. The two messing around was nothing new but it was always fun to watch the hard ass detective act like a child.

"Castle!" She called as they rounded Esposito's desk making him look at the two wondering what Castle was up to now. "Castle, don't you dare!" She yelled at him as sternly and commanding as she could but his mischievous grin only grew.

"You should have an auction….. No, no, not me. Beckett…." He said and Esposito looked between the two. Beckett was desperately trying to get Castle and Castle was making sure to keep the desk and Esposito between them.

"Castle!" She yelled louder. "You keep going and I will shoot you." She threatened. He paused and looked at her before he stuck his tongue out at her making her run around the desk to try to get him again. "Castle!" He was now on the other side and she was standing beside Esposito who sat with an amused look.

"Think about it. Kate Beckett, the real Nikki Heat. You have her up there; you will have enough money for about fifty scholarships. You won't even need me." Beckett narrowed her eyes at him and took off after him, this time she caught the back of his jacket and pulled him back. Taking the phone, she glared at him as he held his hands up in surrender.

"Martha?" She asked putting the phone to her ear and listening to the woman talk about the auction. "Well if you're going to have Nikki Heat you really should have her creator. I mean there would be no Nikki if it wasn't for Castle." Castle narrowed his eyes. "I bet you'll have enough money to let students go to school for free."

"Beckett." He warned in a harsh whisper.

"Yes, I'll tell him." She hung up with a smug look. "She said that you shouldn't have volunteered that and as your punishment you are going to be the only one to be in the auction." She handed his phone back with a satisfied smile. "It's so hard being you." She said sarcastically before walking away as Esposito and the few other detectives who had been watching laughed.

"That backfired big time, bro." Esposito said with a smirk as Castle just looked away in defeat before walking over to Beckett who had started on paperwork.

"That was not fair and mean." He said sitting back in the chair watching her smile as she looked away from the paper s. He really didn't like being auctioned off but if this victory gave her a bright playful smile he would gladly stand in front of all to be bid on.

"It was uncalled for to call her and volunteer me." She replied.

"But it was thoughtful. You have to admit it was a good idea." She looked at him a minute before shrugging. "Will you at least buy me?" He asked making her eyes fly to his as she tried to figure out exactly what he was saying.

"What? Why would I do that?" She asked as she turned to her sarcasm and bantering. "I get more than enough of you at work. If I could sell you off and get away with it, I would."

Castle faked a shocked and hurt look. "You wound me greatly with such harsh words, Detective. Such mean thoughts, I thought we were partners." She rolled her eyes trying to force the smile that was begging to come to the surface, away.

"Hey, I couldn't get a hold of the girlfriend. I left a message for her to call us back." Ryan said as he walked over interrupting their banter.

"Okay, thanks Ryan. Could you find anything else on any of the other employees?" She asked and watched him shake his head. "What about that guy who was breaking in and stealing stuff?" Again he shook his head.

"We're still trying to locate him, or at least get a name."

"Alright." Beckett sat back and thought for a minute.

"It's late, why don't we order Chinese food?" Castle offered as he and Beckett stood by her desk.

"Aren't you going to eat with Martha and Alexis?" She wondered.

"They're at the school working with some other teachers to get the fundraiser together so I'm on my own tonight."

Beckett thought for a minute before she gave a nod. "Fine, but make sure you order extra dumplings." She smirked making him grin before he turned to get Ryan and Esposito's orders.

An hour later they were sitting in the conference room with their food when Ryan's phone rang. "Ryan." He answered. "Yeah, thanks." He hung up and looked at Beckett with a smirk. "They found our thief. They're bringing him in now." The team at as much as they could before the uniform officers showed up escorting a disheveled, dirty looking man into the interrogation room.

"Russell Sinclair." Esposito said handing over the papers on the man in the other room. "He lives in the slums and sells off the equipment he steals so he can buy drugs." Beckett nodded, left the observation room with Ryan and walked into the interrogation room.

"I didn't do nothing!" Russell called out as the two detectives entered the room. "I swear I didn't do nothing!"

"And what exactly didn't you do, Russell?" Beckett asked him as she took her seat across from him. Ryan sat down watching how jittery the man was.

"I don't steal!" He called as he shifted in his seat.

Beckett opened her book and pulled a picture of Tarence out. Sliding it across the table to sit in front of Russell she pointed to it. "We're here because you've been seen breaking into the same work place that this man worked and was killed in."

"Killed? Me kill this guy? No way! If you're looking for someone you should look at that black haired bimbo." Beckett and Ryan looked at each other.

"Who?" Ryan asked.

"Some lady with Black hair walked up to him and started talking to him outside the building the other night. They seemed like friends and all until she started yelling and stormed off crying."

"Can you describe her?" He asked the man who shrugged. "Was she tall or short? She have anything that stuck out to you?"

"Look man, I wasn't paying attention. I was just making sure the coast was clear." Russell said before he clamped his mouth shut quickly.

"Clear for what?" Ryan asked and Russell just sat back arms crossed as he continued to shift in his seat.

"Tell us everything you know and we'll let you're little walk through the building slide." Beckett offered. "After all we never did find anything that connected you to the stealing."

Russell looked between the two detectives a minute before he sat forward as if to share a secret. "She don't know what they were talking about, but I can tell you she had a nasty looking scar on her arm."

"Can you work with our sketch artist?" Beckett asked and watched him nod.

Castle and Esposito stood behind the glass watching. "She can do that?" Castle asked the detective, hearing Beckett's offer to the man.

"As long as there's no hard evidence convicting him." Esposito explained. They listened another minute until Russell agreed to work with the sketch artist. "Looks like we're on the right track." He told Castle before Ryan and Beckett walked in leaving Russell in the interrogation room to work with a sketch artist.

"Let's hope he got a clear enough look and his mind is all with it." Ryan said before they walked into the other room to continue eating and going over what they had so far.

Beckett's phone rang. "Beckett." She answered and listened as a uniform stopped in the doorway. Esposito went to talk to him.

"Thanks." He told the officer. "Looks like we have our lady. I'll go run it through the system and see if we get a match." He turned leaving.

Beckett hung up and sighed. "What's wrong?" Castle asked her.

"That was the girlfriend." She looked at the two men sitting at the table covered with files and Chinese food. "Derek alibied out."

"Esposito's running the face to see if we can catch a break there." Ryan told her. She sighed and nodded as she took her seat beside Castle again. "There's not much we can do until reports and stories start coming in." Beckett looked at her watch and nodded.

"You're right. Let us call it a night and we can start fresh in the morning. Maybe we'll have a name for our mystery girl or something then." The two men nodded before they started collecting the files and papers, throwing away the trash before they went to tell Esposito that they were calling it a night. An hour later once everything was put away and cleaned up the team took their leave, saying their goodbyes before heading their separate ways for the night.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Are you busy?" Esposito asked as he walked into the autopsy room. Lanie was sitting at her desk looking at files and papers spread all across the top. She looked up at him as he stopped in front of her.

"I'm just finishing up some paperwork on my other cases." She explained and glanced at all the files and papers. "A lot at one time. I think it's a good time to take a break and start up in the morning again." He nodded.

"We're at the same point." He told her as she closed the files, grabbed her jacket and they were walking through the halls towards their cars. "Lanie, earlier I didn't mean to start something up." He said making her look at him.

"Come over to my place and we can talk about what's going on. Okay?" He nodded, relieved that she wanted to talk but worried that this might end up in just another fight to add to their fast growing collection.

It only took them twenty minutes to reach her apartment. She quickly changed before they ordered pizza and fell into light conversation. Lanie knew something was bothering him but she didn't want to push. She really wanted to help and not get into another argument for no reason, but she wanted to know what had him looking so worried and sad all day.

"We're still waiting to get a name for the woman a guy saw arguing with the Vic the night before he was killed. Other than that, we have really no other avenue to look at." He paused and was silent a minute. "You know this guy pushed and fought for a few years before him and his fiancé got things right. They finally decide to make a life together after all kinds of fighting and arguing only to having him murdered."

Lanie looked at him, his words were starting to ring a bell in her mind and she couldn't help but reach over and grab his hand. "Is that what's been bothering you?" he shrugged and she tilted her head a bit. "This case does sound like a hard one. Especially with so many parallels but that's all it is. It's a similar story. We need to make our own lives. If that includes us back together, then that will happen when it's meant to be."

"Yeah, you're right." He nodded.

"Come on. Let's get the TV going and eat our pizza before we have to get up early and do our jobs all over again." He nodded and sat beside her, both holding a plat or pizza as they scanned the channels for a good show.

Castle walked in carrying his and Beckett's cup of coffee like always. He saw that neither Ryan nor Esposito were in yet and Beckett was in the lounge trying to make herself a coffee. He smirked as he walked in seeing her fiddling and trying to move everything into the right place.

"Having problems?" He asked making her jump and look at him. He extended the coffee for her and she took it with a roll of her eyes.

"Thanks." She told him as she walked past him. She hated when he would sneak up on her and she hated it even more when he saw her having issues making a simple cup of coffee.

"You okay?" He asked, confused as to why she seemed to quiet and thoughtful as she walked towards her desk with him beside her. She sat in her seat as he took his and he watched her take a deep breath.

"It's just this case. There's not many things to go off of and the story behind the victim…" She trailed off. He knew what she was talking about. The sad story of how the victim and his fiancé fought for so many years to be together and finally get engaged only to be killed. Now that woman who was madly in love with the victim would have to build her life alone, back from the bottom.

Castle nodded. "It makes you think." He agreed as the two other detectives walked in, dropped their things at their desks and started over when Ryan's desk phone rang. He answered it as Esposito walked over to Beckett's desk and they were joined a minute later by Ryan.

"They found the mystery girl. Apparently she's been in a woman's center since the night Russell saw her arguing with the Vic." Ryan told them.

"A woman's center?" Castle asked.

"Yeah, the cops who took her there are sending over their report. Apparently her boyfriend was not such a great guy as our vic."

"Well the victim did like to break up fights." Castle said looking over at Beckett. "Maybe he saw a fight between this woman and her boyfriend and stepped in to save her, the boyfriend snaps and just goes off."

"Run the guy's name and see what you can get." Beckett told Esposito and Ryan who both nodded and went to do their jobs, leaving Castle and Beckett to sit and think about what could have happened. Beckett's desk phone rang. "Beckett…. Really?... you sure that's the murder weapon?... Okay, thanks Lanie." Beckett hung up and furrowed her brows in confusion before she looked over at Castle.

"She found out what the murder weapon was?" Castle asked.

"Yeah. She says the markings match the inside of a stapler." Castle looked at her a minute before he chuckled.

"That is so cool. I would have never thought of using something like that to kill someone." He smirked as the two other detectives walked over not looking very happy.

"Well the boyfriend has a nice list of charges." Ryan started.

"But he was locked up the night our Vic was killed." Beckett sighed looking at them. "He got into a bar fight and was arrested for nearly killing a guy." He explained. "There was no way he could have gotten to our Vic." They all went silent trying to think of more possibilities.

"Well." Ryan started. "Tarence was known for breaking up fights and settling things, what if there was a fight that he broke up and settled that no one talked about?"

"The boss, at least would have mentioned that." Beckett said shaking her head.

"Not if she didn't know." Ryan gave a smile. "There's fights at every work place that no one reports. You don't want to report every time someone says something or when they look at you the wrong way. So what if there was a little argument that he settled quietly?"

"And someone didn't appreciate his mediating." Castle added as he looked at Beckett. She sat thinking for a minute before she nodded.

"Come on Castle. Let's go talk to the workers and see if there were any quiet fights." She stood and pulled her jacket on. Castle stood and followed her leaving the two men to turn to the murder board to see if they could come up with any other ideas.

"So did you talk to Lanie?" Ryan asked making Esposito look at him. "You really looked like you had to talk to her yesterday when we went to find out what she found. I figured you'd meet up after work and talk."

Esposito shrugged. "We talked a bit and wound down. This case is getting everyone going."

"Yeah, did you see how Beckett and Castle have been acting since they got the back story on the Vic?" The two men smirked before taking a deep breath and getting back to the murder at hand. While Beckett and Castle drove back to the work place.

"Esposito looked better today." Castle commented on the drive. Beckett glanced over at him and couldn't help the smirk that crossed her face.

"You know Castle; you really should just tell him your feelings for him. It's good to be truthful with feelings of love." She stopped at a red light and looked over at him as he screwed up his face in mock amusement.

"Oh, so funny. I'll confess my love as soon as we get back to the station." Beckett couldn't help but to laugh at his sarcastic comment. "And it's not always good to be truthful with that stuff." He said low before looking out the window.

Beckett looked at him a moment longer, she could hear the hurt in his voice and she knew why. She knew it was because he had confessed his love to her. He told her and she told him she didn't remember any of it. She knew he was hurting with the fact that he can't just tell her now, and he didn't want to risk what they had already. Her light turned green and she started to drive thinking about how much she had hurt him by just telling him she didn't remember.

"You know, it's not always a bad thing. Sometimes it's good to get everything out in the open. Relationships are made stronger with the secrets out in the open." She told him and watched as he looked at her for a brief second. In that second she could see him contemplating telling her everything on his mind but his eyes quickly turned back to the street.

"Everything comes out eventually. Like I said, it's not always a good idea."

"You're right. It's better to keep your secrets to yourself, like telling dates that you've been auctioned off." She said trying to pull the conversation back to their comfortable banter. She saw him look at her with a smirk.

"Well it's also a bit awkward to go out on a date with the person who bought you. You wouldn't know anything about it."

"It's just another day in the life of the famous Rick Castle. Right?" They smirked at each other as they pulled up in the parking lot walking into the building to see if they could talk to some of the employees.

"We need to talk with your employees one last time." Beckett told Kim. We have a few questions that we would like to ask everyone."

"Everyone?" Beckett nodded. "What's going on?"

Beckett turned towards the cubical from her place standing by the elevators. "Excuse me!" She called out making all of the workers look up and over the cubicle wall. "We think there was a fight that took place and Tarence Perry stepped in to settle it."

"A fight that no one wanted to report, maybe?" Castle added. The two looked at the faces waiting for someone to speak up. No one said a word they all just glanced around as several looked at a man with glasses, balding light brown hair and deep brown eyes. Suddenly he took off running to the back of the room. Castle and Beckett took off after him.

They chased him down the stairwell yelling for him to stop but he practically flew down the stairs. The two had to stop once they reached the bottom and he was gone. "Damn it." Beckett said, putting her gun back in its holster. Both were breathing heavy and took the opportunity to catch their breath before they made their way back up the stairs to get what they could on the guy.

"Was it Rick?" Several workers asked making Castle look around and furrow his brow.

"Rick?" He whispered to Beckett who smirked at him as they stopped in front of the boss.

"We need everything you have on him. Name, address, everything." Beckett told her.

"Of course. His name is Richard Brook. I'll grab his personnel file for you."

"Richard?" Castle said making Beckett shrug.

"Killing people must be a Richard thing." She told him.

He fake chuckled at her before he frowned. "That's not accurate. I don't annoy people. I bring the fun to people using the death of characters in my books."

Beckett rolled her eyes pulling her phone from her pocket and dialed Ryan. "Hey, it's me. I need you to get everything you can on a Richard Brook. Put out a BOLO for him too….. He took off when we asked about a fight…. Yeah, thanks." She hung up as Kim walked back with the personnel file. Beckett looked at the address. "Let's go." She told Castle and they were off calling their next move into Esposito. Beckett made sure she called someone to let them know where she was going, as per the new rule Gates put into effect after they had been abducted and nearly turned into tiger kibble.

Beckett pulled up in front of the house as other officers arrived with Ryan and Esposito only a minute behind them. They climbed out of the cars and started pulling on their vests. "Keep your eyes open for any office supplies." Castle joked making Beckett roll her eyes at his stupid joke.

"Okay, let's go." She said as she finished putting her vest on and pulled her gun. They walked closer and Beckett looked at Castle. "Stay out here until I call." He gave her a look but nodded nonetheless as he waited to the side of the door as the three detectives and a handful of officers knocked down the door and stormed the place. He looked around after they were inside before he took to the three steps and followed.

"He's not here." He heard Ryan say in the other room.

"He hasn't been for a while." Castle said making everyone look around the corner at him as he stood in the kitchen looking around.

"Castle!" Beckett scolded. He only shrugged and looked at her in silent question as to why it mattered. "Is there anything here that could point us to where he is?" She asked as she turned to the others.

"Beckett." They heard Castle call from the dining room. The three detectives walked into the room to see Castle pointing to the table. There in the middle of the table sat a briefcase with a bloody, broken stapler and bunched up, bloody clothing. "Looks like it's the right guy."

"I'll get CSU in here." Ryan told Beckett as her phone rang.

"Beckett." She answered. "Yeah, great. Thanks." She hung up. "His car was just spotted outside a computer store about three blocks from here and the alarm in the store has been sprung." The three detectives started shooting off quick orders before they ran to the cars with Castle in tow and took off to the store.

"What is he doing in a computer store?" Castle mused aloud on the way.

"Does it really matter Castle? He killed a man and then ran from the police." Beckett told him. "Look this guy is going to be dangerous, so how about you listen and stay where you're supposed to for once."

"You really think I can listen?" He asked earning himself a Kate Beckett glare.

"Fine, but you go in you stay behind us and make sure you stay out of the way." He just nodded as the car came to a screech outside of the computer store. They climbed out and were met with Ryan and Esposito. "You two go around back, I'll go for the front." She told the two men. The four set up as other cops began arriving.

"How are you going to get him out of there?" Castle asked. She just pulled her gun and started towards the front door.

"Mr. Brook!" She yelled. "We know you're in there! You are completely surrounded by the police. Just come out now and no one gets hurt!" She was met with silence.

She looked at Castle who was listening intently for any sounds from inside. She was about to yell again when a shot went off, then a second and a third. Beckett kicked the glass in the door that was covered with a plastic sheet. She ran in gun held up. She and Castle paused in their steps. In front of them, they saw Esposito on the ground with Ryan leaning over him holding pressure to a wound on his chest.

"Call an ambulance." Ryan said to an officer who entered after Beckett and Castle. "Hang on Javier; we'll get you patched up." He told his partner.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Espo." Beckett said as she knelt to assess the situation with Castle standing behind her. She looked at where the bullet hit and realized it was just to the right and above the vest on his right side.

"One hell of a shot." Esposito said making Beckett smirk as she nodded.

"Yeah." She nodded as paramedics rushed in. Castle reached out and pulled Beckett to her feet to get her out of the way of the rushing paramedics and gear. They stepped to the side and Ryan joined them as one took over holding pressure on the wound. "We'll meet you at the hospital." Beckett told Esposito once they got him on the stretcher. Ryan and Beckett started shouting out orders to get everything moving and processed before they started to the cars. The group started for the hospital and Beckett called Lanie.

"Hey girl, you get the guy?" Lanie answered.

"We got the guy. Ryan had to take him down." Beckett started. "Lanie meet us at Beth Israel Medical Center."

"Why what happened?" Lanie asked worried.

"The guy got a shot off and his Esposito." Beckett told her and heard the line go silent. "Lanie…" Nothing. "Lanie!" She said louder before she heard her friend.

"Is he okay?" Beckett could hear the fear in her voice as she asked the question.

"The guy got a lucky shot off and hit just above the Kevlar. They are taking him to the hospital now, just meet us there." The two hung up, Beckett put the car in park and took a deep breath before she, and Castle joined Ryan in the waiting room. After ten minutes, Lanie was walking through the doors nearly in tears.

Everything she had been pushing away because she didn't want to keep arguing with him, all the feelings she had for him that she bottled up because they were no longer together started to flow out of her. She pulled Beckett into a tight hug asking if they knew anything.

"All we know is they have him in surgery to remove the bullet." Ryan said. "They said he should be fine."

"There are so many variations that it's unrealistic for them to tell us he'll be fine." Lanie told him. He just glanced at Beckett who turned and started walking with Lanie over to a few chairs to sit and try to talk to her friend. She knew how much Esposito meant to all of them, and she knew how her friends felt about him.

"The doctors said it shouldn't take long to get the bullet and then we can see him." Beckett explained. "The x-rays and other tests they ran showed that there was no real damage to worry about." Lanie sighed in relief. "You going to be okay?"

"I won't be okay until I see him sitting in that bed talking to me." Beckett nodded understanding the feeling. "He wanted to try to get back together again. This case really had him going you know. I told him no. I just couldn't go into the relationship that we only fought in."

"You should have taken the risk. He really cares about you, and I know you love him." Beckett told her.

"Just like you took a risk to tell Castle how you feel about him?" Beckett paused and glanced over at Castle who was standing to the side talking to Ryan, neither one of them taking their eyes from the doors that led to the OR. "I'm sorry. I just…. I should have given him another chance."

"Well it's not too late to try again. You two were meant for each other, whether you see it or not." Beckett reassured her and Lanie couldn't help but smile.

"Just like you and writer boy." Beckett smirked and shook her head.

"You're right." Lanie looked at her friend confused. "Lanie, you remember when I was shot?"

"Like I could forget." She said.

Beckett looked over at Castle to make sure he couldn't hear. "He told me he loved me in the cemetery." Lanie's eyes grew wide and she nearly jumped from her seat. "I lied. I told him I didn't remember."

"Why? Kate, he loves you. He told you that he loved you." Her voice was getting louder and louder. Beckett looked at Castle whose eyes locked with hers. He had heard. Lanie looked over and slammed her mouth shut. She didn't mean for her voice to get that loud. Castle furrowed his brow and Beckett sat frozen. He started walking over to her and Lanie just stood and walked over to where Ryan was standing looking confused.

"Kate…." Castle said softly looking at her. Beckett couldn't say anything. "You… you remember? After all this time, you remember and you never said anything." He looked at her with his pain clear in his blue eyes.

"I was confused. I didn't know what to do." She told him.

"Why?" He asked her.

She shook her head. "I didn't want to hurt you."

"Hurt me? You lied to me and pretended I never said anything. Pretended that I never told you how I felt."

"I couldn't." She said standing up quickly. "I was just shot and I was with Josh. What did you expect me to do, Rick?"

"Talk to me." He said a little more sternly that he had meant it. "You should have told me."

"Told you what?"

"I don't know, Kate. Maybe tell me you heard what I said? Tell me what you're thinking. You always want to hide behind your walls, never want to take a chance looking around them no matter what you say." She could see the anger mixing with his pain.

She was about to argue back when the doctor they spoke with when they arrived walked out. The four moved to crowd around him all arguing forgotten for now. "Is he going to be okay?" Lanie asked before the doctor could say a word.

"He will make a full recovery. He is still a little out of it but he's waking up from the anesthesia pretty well." The doctor nodded and Lanie turned to Beckett and held her tight. "He will be very sore and will need to take it easy for a few months because of the area, but he'll be back on his feet in no time. He was a very lucky man today. The placement of the bullet was very close to hitting major arteries and organs."

"Thank you." Castle told the doctor, glancing over at Beckett and Lanie hugging. "When will we be able to see him?"

"We are getting him set in a room now. As soon as he's settled you can go back but there can only be two visitors at a time." The doctor told him. "He's going to be groggy for a little while because of the anesthetic but he'll come out of it completely in the next few hours."

"Thanks." Ryan said and the doctor nodded and walked away. Ryan let out a heavy sigh of relief and Castle leaned back against the wall as everything just sunk in. "I'll call Gates and tell her the update." He told Castle before he walked outside to make the call leaving Castle to watch the two women.

"I told you." Beckett said with a smile as they pulled apart. "Besides, Espo wouldn't do that to us."

"I swear as soon as he's better I'm going to smack him so hard…" Lanie threatened making Beckett and Castle both smile.

"Excuse me." A nurse said making them look at her. "Are you here for Mr. Esposito?"

"Detective Esposito, yes." Beckett said.

"He's ready for visitors." She looked at the three as Ryan walked back in.

"Lanie, you go ahead. We'll go in when you're done." Lanie nodded and followed the nurse. "What did Gates say?"

"She said that first thing in the morning she wants all of our statements and she wants updates on Javier. The guy made it and is being held in a hospital wing now, the cops who talked to him said he told them our Vic stole his stapler and he was tired of people stealing it. So when someone took it, he thought the Vic was the one who did it. He left and waited for Tarence to leave work, killed him and then dumped him back at his desk." He explained and Beckett nodded

"Why was he at the computer store?" Castle asked ignoring his pain and anger with Beckett to focus on this case and his hurt friend.

"He told the cops that he was trying to sell some of his electronics so he could get away. The clerk refused to buy his stuff saying it wasn't worth anything so he pulled the gun. When Esposito and I came in the back door we spooked him and he just shot." Ryan explained what Gates had told him a few minutes ago.

"Why would he kill the guy and then carry him all the way back in the building and up to his desk?" Castle wondered.

"He could have done it as a way to get rid of the body. It's not like he could go driving around with the body or burry him somewhere." Ryan told him. "He probably thought that seeing him back in the office would turn us to the fights and he wouldn't be looked at."

"Sad thing is we would have never looked at him if he hadn't run." Beckett continued before Ryan's phone went off. "Ryan…" He answered. "Yeah, hey Hun." He said before turning away to talk to Jenny.

Beckett took a few steps and leaned against the wall beside Castle. "Waiting to hear if he was okay…" She shook her head and he looked down at her trying to hold back his feelings from a few minutes ago until he was able to see Esposito.

"Well at least we knew he would make it before they took him into surgery." Castle offered quietly and Beckett could hear the layered meaning to his words. She looked up at him sadly; she knew she had hurt him deeply with her secret. He took a deep breath looking away before speaking again. "I'll see how Esposito is feeling and then I'm going to go home. I don't think I'll be able to make it in tomorrow."

Beckett looked at him sadly. "Castle I really am sorry. I never-" She was cut off as the nurse walked out.

"It's against the rules but he's requesting everyone go in." Beckett looked at Castle.

"I'll get Ryan." Beckett turned towards the doors and saw him standing directly outside of one. "Ryan." He looked at her. "He wants all of us in there." He said his goodbye to his wife and followed her back to Castle and the nurse. The nurse led them to a dim room where they could see Esposito propped up in the bed, wires hooked up to all kinds of machines, with Lanie sitting in the chair beside the bed with a small smile on her face.

"Hey." Esposito said groggily. "They actually agreed?"

"Well you do tend to get the best treatment when you are a cop with two cops and a famous author waiting." Castle smirked making Esposito chuckle only to wince in pain.

"You okay?" Lanie asked as he relaxed again and he nodded.

"How you feeling, Javi?" Beckett asked.

"Great. Only hurts a little, they gave me some great medication for now." He told her. "I figured there was no reason for you all to be standing around wanting to say hi." Castle saw Lanie reach out and hold his hand tightly. Glancing at Beckett, he remembered his heart breaking as he held her in his arms after the shot, begging her not to leave him, and telling her, he loved her. He knew how Lanie was feeling. He knew the two had strong feelings for each other and knew that the others standing around gawking wasn't going to help anything.

"Jenny said she'll be stopping by tomorrow to see how you're doing." Ryan told him.

"You better be coming with her."

"Of course, Bro. Can't just leave you here with no one to talk to." The two pounded fists. "I have to go but I'll be back with Jenny tomorrow." Esposito nodded before Ryan said his goodbyes and took his leave.

"Castle, bro, don't you have to get home to your daughter?" Esposito asked as the writer took a few steps to the side so he could lean against the wall.

"Well she's spending the night with my mother, working on the fundraiser again. They would kill me if I went home without seeing you." He smirked.

"We better get going." Beckett said walking closer to the bed to grab his hand. "We don't want to take too much advantage over breaking the rules. I'll stop back up tomorrow." She looked at Lanie as Castle said his goodbyes. "Call me if you need anything." Lanie nodded and hugged her friends. Once the two left, Lanie was sitting back in the chair, holding his hand with a small smile.

"Javi." She said softly making him roll his head and look at her. "I've been thinking." She paused. "You're right. This case has gotten everyone a little riled up. I thought about and I between this case and you scarring the life out of me I think we really should give the relationship all we have."

"Lanie, if you don't want to-" He was cut off by her shaking her head.

"No. Javier, I've been pushing everything away because I was afraid that we would just continue fighting all the time and nothing good would come of it."

"You turned into a Beckett Jr." He said with a smile making her laugh softly and nod.

"I suppose so." The two looked at each other for a minute longer. "I think we need to throw ourselves in the water and learn to swim." She saw him nod before she moved closer and kissed him. "I love you, Javier Esposito, and if you ever scare me like that again, I'll kill you myself. Understand?"

"Loud and clear. Now come here Chika." He smiled before he slowly reached up and pulled her a bit closer so he could kiss her again.

It had been a month since Esposito had been shot. The killer was now behind bars for the rest of his life and Esposito had been doing exceptionally well and had been back to work for a week already. He was back to finding the murderers and putting them behind bars with the rest of his team. Walking down to the coroner's offices during his lunch break, he smiled. Lanie and him had finally gotten things situated and were giving the relationship another chance. This time they were going to just enjoy the feeling and they weren't going to think about things that others mention to them, not until it was time and they thought of the subjects.

He turned the corner and saw Lanie with her back to him. Slowly and quietly, he walked over and wrapped his hands around her waist making her jump a bit. "Is it lunch time already?" She asked with a smile. He nodded and kissed her cheek. "Let me change real quick and we can go." She jumped from the stool and started towards the little dressing room in the back of the room.

"What are you working on?"

"It's a case for Robinson. He has a husband and wife murder." She explained as she changed. "You have any new cases?"

"Not today. Not yet at least." He looked at the door as it opened and she walked out dressed in street clothing. "You hear about what happened between Beckett and Castle? He hasn't been around and she won't talk about him."

Lanie looked at him a minute before she gave a small sigh. "when we were waiting for you to get out of surgery Kate told me that when she was shot Castle told her he loved her."

"What? Really?" He was happy to have Castle finally voiced the feelings everyone saw.

"yeah, well she told him she doesn't remember anything. He over heard us talking about it." she looked at him sadly. "it's my fault. I should have kept my voice down."

"something was bound to happen. it's not your fault." He reached out pulling her closer to him, closing the small gap and connecting their lips in a loving kiss. "He's never leaving her side. He'll annoy her to the grave. Just needs to work through this like everything else." He told her when they pulled apart making her laugh and nod.

"I just wish they would realize what they have and stop their dancing. By the time they realize they're in love we'll all be dead from old age." The two smiled and kissed again.

"They'll figure it out when their ready. Until then all we can do is push them along." Esposito smiled before he turned. "Ready to go?" She nodded and the two left for their lunch break like they had been doing every day since they settled things in his hospital room.


End file.
